


Let me take care of you

by tinacita



Series: tom one shots [1]
Category: Tom Hiddleston - Fandom
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-27
Updated: 2015-02-27
Packaged: 2018-03-15 11:08:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,455
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3444851
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tinacita/pseuds/tinacita
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tom's neighbor Elena is sick, and he comes to the rescue</p>
            </blockquote>





	Let me take care of you

**Author's Note:**

> Another FFF submission! Enjoy!

_I can’t believe this … another day of not getting home until 7pm. I joined a private practice to avoid this!_

I was grumpy on my way home from the office, late yet again. I didn’t remember seeing this many sick people when I worked in the hospital. My only consolation was that I might get to see her – my neighbor. _Elena …_

Elena lived across the hall from me on the 9th floor. I had met her when she first moved in, and if I was being honest with myself, I liked her. She was an architect, a reddish brunette with bright green eyes, very friendly, and single. We talked in the elevator, or in the hallway.

I had wanted to ask her out, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. Given that I was the newest doctor in the office, I had the worst schedule. Plus, I knew she also kept crazy hours. So I didn’t think it would fair to either one of us to start a relationship at this point.

But, I liked her. When I saw her, my spirits instantly lifted, even after the worst day. I was hoping I’d see her this evening …

As I walked into the lobby and toward the elevator, I heard someone coughing. Great, more sick people, I thought glumly. Then I looked up and a huge smile replaced my frown. _ELENA!!!!!_

I took a deep breath as I approached her.

“Hi,” I said calmly, smiling. My smile evaporated quickly as she turned to look at me. The sight was ghastly – she was horribly pale, there were dark circles under her red eyes, and she appeared to have a fever. “Are you all right?” I asked, very concerned.

She laughed a bit before coughing again, and when she recovered, she said, “Not really. I feel even worse then I apparently look.”

The elevator reached us, and I allowed her to enter before me. I was really worried, because she looked as if she might keel over at any moment. “Forgive me, but you don’t look well at all. I think you may have a fever,” I said, my doctor voice very evident.

Elena glanced at me, and shook her head. “I’ll be fine. I just need some sleep.”

“Elena,” I said firmly, “You need more than some sleep. You need some fluids, something to eat, and some medicine, especially for that fever.”

She touched my arm and smiled at me. “Thanks for being concerned. My coworkers avoided me, and my boss told me to make sure I’m better by tomorrow because he didn’t want me coughing during our presentation.”

_Those bastards! How could they treat someone like her so badly?!_

“Elena, I’m serious,” I said, watching the smile disappear from her lovely face.

Before she could reply, the elevator reached our floor, and she began to walk down the corridor. Thankfully I wasn’t too far behind.

She turned around to say goodnight, and I saw her sway just a bit. I dropped my briefcase and caught her as she collapsed. I scooped her up into my arms, grabbed my keys out of my pocket, and took her into my apartment.

I went into the spare bedroom and gently laid her down on the bed. I covered her with a quilt, and felt her forehead. _Burning up … Not good at all …_

I glanced at her – she was still out. I quietly but quickly ran through the apartment and into the hallway. I gathered her things and brought them into the living room. I went into the bathroom and got some medications, and returned to the bedroom. She was just starting to wake up.

“Elena … don’t be scared. You collapsed and I brought you to my place,” I said softly as she looked around, somewhat disoriented.

“I what?” she asked before erupting into a coughing fit. I filled the small cup with some cough syrup and handed it to her.

“Drink, and then I’ll give you something for the fever,” I commanded gently.

Elena looked at the medicine, then at me, and gulped it down. She then took the pills with some water. “I really fainted?” she asked.

She looked so frightened. I sat down on the bed next to her, and took her hand.

“Yes, but I caught you, and brought you back here,” I said, looking at her.

“Why?” she asked so quietly that I barely heard her.

“Why? You’re sick, you’re my friend, and I’m going to take care of you,” I said rather bluntly, still holding her hand.

She looked at me and burst into tears. I pulled her into my chest and held her tightly. I rubbed her back while she sobbed in my arms. After a few minutes, she calmed down, and pulled away from me.

“You hardly know me,” Elena said, sniffling. “And why would you want to take care of another sick patient? I’m sure you see more than your fair share at the office every day.”

I smiled at her, and replied, “As I said, you’re my friend. This is what friends do for one another.”

She smiled at me and rested her head against my chest. I held her for a few minutes. “Now,” I said into her hair, “You need to tell me what you’d like me to get from your place so you’ll be comfortable here.”

I was almost worried when she didn’t respond, but I felt her breathing regularly against my chest, and correctly surmised that she’d fallen asleep. I gently laid Elena back down on the bed, and covered her up again. I brushed a few stray hairs from her face, and placed a feather light kiss on her forehead. I dimmed the lights, and went into the living room.

I fished her keys out of her coat pocket, grabbed my overnight bag from the hall closet, and quickly went to her apartment.

_She’s going to kill me when she finds out that I did this!!_

As much as I wanted to explore and learn more about her, this was not the time.

I went into her bedroom, and paused. She needed some clothes, but I couldn’t bring myself to rifle through her closet and drawers. Thankfully there was some clean laundry in the basket next to her bed, so I put her underwear in the bag.

I sighed before entering the bathroom. It was surprisingly uncluttered. I lucked out again, as many of her toiletries were neatly arranged on a few shelves. I chose what I thought she might need, and started to head out.

I stopped in the living room as I passed her armchair. There was a crocheted afghan draped over one arm which looked like it was handmade. I picked it up and brought it with me. I locked her door and returned to my place.

Elena was still asleep when I checked on her. I placed the bag on the floor, and went to change. I brought her some of my old sweats, and a robe. I sat down in the chair next to the bed and watched her sleep.

It was after nine when Elena woke. I was reading an article in one of my medical journals when she spoke.

“Hey …” she said groggily.

“Hey yourself. Let’s see how that fever’s doing,” I said reaching over to feel her forehead.

She shrank back as I got close to her. “I’m just going to feel your forehead to see if your fever has gone down,” I said concerned.

She nodded, and let me touch her. She was still warm, but not nearly as much. I went into the bathroom to get a cool washcloth for her forehead. I was glad the medicine was reducing her fever, but I knew she wasn’t out of the woods yet. I placed the cloth on her head, and she sighed.

“Tom, I …” she started to say before bolting out of bed toward the bathroom.

As much as I wanted to follow her into the bathroom, I knew she wouldn’t want me in there. I went into my bathroom and got a clean towel and washcloth for her.

When I heard silence, I slowly opened the door. My heart ached, seeing her lying on the floor in her business suit, her hair damp and face flushed.

“Elena? Are you all right?” I asked softly.

She looked at me, and said in a raspy voice, “Go away! I’m sick in your apartment, and I look like death.”

I wet the washcloth, and kneeled down beside her. I started to wipe her face when she swatted my hand away.

“Didn’t you hear me? Leave me be! I’ll go home when I clean myself up,” Elena yelled.

I completely ignored her words, and continued to pat her face with the cool washcloth. When she grabbed my hand, I just looked at her.

“Elena. Listen to me. You are no condition to go anywhere. Now will you please stop and let me take care of you?” I said firmly.

I could see the tears forming in her eyes, so I pulled her close to me and just held her. After a few minutes, she pulled away, and looked at me.

“I still don’t understand why you’re doing this. But I’m … I’m grateful to have a … a friend … like you,” Elena said softly.

I smiled, and helped her up off the floor. I had her sit on the edge of the tub while I got my overnight bag and my clothes.

“Please don’t be angry. I went to your place and got a few things for you. I’ll wait for you outside the door. Go slowly, and if you feel faint, yell for me,” I said before leaving.

Elena sat there for a minute before starting to clean up. She was a little surprised to see her underwear and toiletries in the bag. She smiled weakly as she picked up his tee shirt and sweatpants. She could smell his scent on the clothes, which made her smile even more. She back down on the tub to finish getting dressed.

She couldn’t believe that her neighbor, the handsome doctor, was taking care of her. She had wanted to get to know him, but this certainly wasn’t what she had in mind. She liked him, too, and she also loved when she got the chance to chat with him. She stood up and went back to the mirror.

Elena giggled, seeing herself in Tom’s clothes, which were too big for her. She shook her head, lamenting the fact that she’d blown her chance with him. How could he possibly want to date her after she got sick in his bathroom?!

I was waiting for her when he opened the door. I couldn’t help but smile seeing her in my clothes. “Do you feel better?” I asked hesitantly.

Elena nodded, and replied, “A little, thanks. I … um … thank you.”

“Do you want to sit up for a bit, or would you rather go back to bed?” I inquired.

“I’m kind of thirsty,” she said. She looked at me rather shyly, and asked, “What does the doctor recommend?”

I grinned, took her hand, and led her into the living room. “I’ll make you some tea. The chamomile will help settle your stomach.”

I helped her to the sofa, and wrapped the afghan around her shoulders.

Elena gasped and said, “You brought this over here for me?”

“Yes. Should I have left it at your place?”

She smiled, and squeezed my hand. “It was my grandmother’s. My mom used to wrap me up in it when I was sick. It always makes me feel better. What made you pick it up?”

I handed her the tea, and I watched her as she sipped it slowly. Finally I responded. “It looked special. I thought you’d like to have it with you.”

I noticed that she wasn’t looking at me anymore. I also noticed that she was shivering a bit. I walked over and sat down on the couch next to her. I put my arms around her.

“I think it’s time you go back to bed. I’ll give you some more medicine, and that should help you sleep.”

Elena looked up at me, and smiled weakly. “I don’t deserve such good treatment,” she said.

“Yes, you do. Would you like me to carry you?”

She giggled. “No, I think I can manage,” she said.

I helped her to her feet and walked her back into the bedroom. I realized there was one other thing I needed to do. “I’ll be right back. I’m going to get you a fresh glass of water for your pills.”

Elena smiled and nodded.

I walked back into the living room and called Dr. Fitzgerald. I didn’t know that Elena was listening when I told him that I wasn’t coming in to the office tomorrow, because someone very special to me was sick and needed me.

I then picked up Elena’s phone of the table, went to the kitchen for the glass of water, and returned to the bedroom. She was right where I left her, sitting on the bed. I handed her the phone.

“Unlock it for me, and dial your boss’s number.”

The look on Elena’s face was half confusion and half fear. “Why?” she asked.

I didn’t answer. I merely stood there and waited for her to do what I requested. Finally, she did.

“Mr. Brighton? This is Dr. Hiddleston. I’m Elena’s personal physician, and I’m calling to inform you that she quite ill and will not be work for the rest of the week … That’s unacceptable … She collapsed in the hallway of her apartment building, and has a high fever … Yes … Thank you … Good evening.”

Elena just sat there, stunned. “Do I still have a job?” she asked sarcastically.

“Of course. He felt badly when I told him you collapsed. He told me to tell you to take as much as time as you need – which is until Monday, at the very least.”

Elena sighed, and scooted under the covers. I handed her the cough syrup, and the other medication. I then laid her grandmother’s afghan on top.

“Tom?” I turned to look at her.

“Yes?”

“Will you …” she paused.

“Will I what?”

“Will you stay with me for a bit?” she asked timidly.

I smiled, and nodded, sitting down beside the bed. She reached out and took my hand.

She smiled sleepily, and said, “Thank you so much for taking care of me.”

I nodded, smiling, and kissed her hand.

As I watched her fall asleep, still holding hands, I thought about how I’d like to continue taking care of her after she got better …

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you liked it! Thanks!


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